Audit questions $13 million in Tulane Katrina aid

NEW ORLEANS - The inspector general for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security says federal emergency officials should recover nearly $13 million in Hurricane Katrina recovery aid awarded to Tulane University.

The report also says Louisiana officials should review more than $290 million in recovery aid given to Tulane after the 2005 storm.

An Oct. 8 audit report says a contractor working on a Tulane project either overbilled or could not document $13 million in costs.

The report noted nearly $7 million in unsupported fuel, equipment and labor costs and another $3.8 million in excessively high equipment costs. It also cited more than $1 million in volume discounts the university should have received, which would have reduced costs.